The Glen Rock Board of Education is mulling the feasibility of opening schools for classes during the annual New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) teachers' convention each fall.

The subject was raised at the Feb. 10 BOE meeting by trustee Barbara Steuert, who cited several factors making the two November days routinely lost to the NJEA session increasingly critical.

They included the ongoing spate of weather-related closings, and increased, state-driven professional development mandates for teachers that might require additional "in-service" (non-class) days. She also cited the growing observation of religious diversity "in which we try to recognize many things going on in our community."

Heightening the issue is the Christie Administration's continuing push to extend New Jersey's school year, Steuert told trustees.

Among the ideas being considered by trustees is a resolution urging state education officials to adopt a uniform attendance-verification standard connected to teacher participation at the convention. Under current guidelines, teachers are excused from on-premises professional duties if their schools remain open.

Initiation of any such resolution must take place promptly, Steuert noted, since it would first require adoption by the New Jersey State Board of Education , and the delegates assembly where such measures are submitted in early March.

Addressing potential staffing on those days, Steuert said, "I'm not really aware of exactly how many of our teachers attend." But she cited unofficial estimates assembled from several information sources indicating that the most recent convention, which shuttered schools last Nov. 7 and 8, drew just over 30,000 of the NJEA's roughly 170,000 members.

"If that's so, the attendance would be approximately 17 percent," she said.

"I don't mean to imply in any way that the convention is not worthwhile," or that teachers do not benefit from attending, Steuert emphasized. "Nor do I want to imply that we would not want our teachers to go if they're so inclined ... We're more than willing to have our teachers pursue any kind of professional development they find useful. But I would like to propose that the state require a verifiable attendance process, so that schools can give teachers credit for those days if not in school."

Board president Sheldon Hirschberg said, "I think it's a constructive thought. (Although) we're faced with the challenge of fitting snow days into our calendar, this is the kind of convention that we all agree is useful and productive, and I encourage all of our teachers to go to it. But maybe there's a better way of figuring it out, and I think we need some discussion and dialogue, and to interface with our staff leadership as well. But I think we need to see if we can make it work."

Trustees Randi Blumberg and Robin Rubinstein also voiced support of the notion.

Beyond any push for stricter attendance monitoring, a dialogue about opening schools for classes or professional development is a district matter involving the Glen Rock Education Association (GREA), according to School Superintendent Paula Valenti, who said the convention issue will "most likely come up during the next GREA contract negotiations." The current three-year pact with the district expires after the 2014-2015 year.

"Generally at this time, this is a negotiated issue," Valenti told the Glen Rock Gazette in a post-meeting interview, citing past experience in the Dumont system, when teachers had to attend the NJEA convention or report to their schools for a four-hour professional in-service day.

"Those absent were required to show evidence of having attended the convention," she said.

However, Valenti stressed that opening schools for classes is another issue, and that if local convention attendance even matches Steuert's 17 percent estimate, class coverage would be an issue, perhaps requiring significant collective bargaining changes.

"There would be problems if students were to attend school on those two conference dates," she said. "We'd need staff to teach, so it may very well be time for the NJEA to re-think its conference attendance practice."

Valenti said changes could include a better registration and verification procedure, but might also range as far as granting districts the ability to "limit teacher attendance" at conventions, to ensure staffing if classes are conducted on those days.

She said that the November issue is just one opportunity to be looked at by local officials.

"As the (school) calendar becomes more difficult to manage due to weather," Valenti said, "I am also interested in further discussion of online or virtual classes with our staff. I think we have an opportunity before us."

Meanwhile, Steuert said last week that the BOE governance committee is still researching the convention issue, and had subsequently confirmed that use of that time as either professional or class days would not alter the number of student contact days or teacher attendance days stipulated in the current GREA contract, since teachers must be excused when attending the proceedings.

"We would, however, have the ability to schedule more snow days, hopefully without going into the last week of June," she said.